Ford Motor Company has launched a two-week free public exhibit at Washington D.C.'s Union Station, celebrating America's 250th anniversary by showcasing the automaker's historic vehicles and artifacts. The exhibit, titled «Driving America Forward: A Ford Experience at Union Station,» opened Wednesday and will run daily through July 14, with no tickets or registration required.
The display features 10 vehicles behind museum-quality glass, tracing Ford's legacy from the Model T to a 2026 Oracle Red Bull Racing Formula One car. Among the highlights are a 1934 Ford pickup on loan from late-night host Jay Leno, a 1941 Ford GP prototype that helped lead to the military Jeep, a 1951 Ford 8N tractor, and a 1954 F-100 from Virginia's Red Truck Bakery. Visitors can also create free postcards at an interactive photo station and shop for Ford merchandise.
Ted Ryan, Ford's archives and heritage brand manager, told Fox News Digital that the exhibit aims to reveal surprising stories about the company's influence on American industry, transportation, and pop culture over the past 123 years. «I was challenged to create an exhibit that would stop people in their tracks to take pictures or learn new facts about the Ford Motor Company,» Ryan said. «These are cars that are stopping people in their tracks, and then the exhibit cases are full of material that will tell people stories they don't expect to hear.»
Ryan noted that Ford's contributions extend far beyond building cars. The company built Mission Control at Johnson Space Center, developed tracking beams for airplanes, and invented the mail sorter. «Hopefully we're teaching people about the critical role that Ford has played in America during half of its 250 years,» he said. The exhibit also highlights Ford's «Answering the Call» initiative, which documents the company's history of supporting the nation during wars, natural disasters, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Union Station was chosen as the venue because of its historical significance as the «front door to the nation's capital,» Ryan wrote in a news release. «For more than a century, it has served as the front door to the nation's capital, a place where presidents have arrived to be inaugurated, where soldiers have shipped off to war, and where ordinary Americans, by the millions, have stepped off a train and into the heart of their democracy.»
The exhibit is part of Ford's marquee America 250 celebrations, which include events across the country. Ryan said the vehicles are meant to spark memories for visitors, whether they remind someone of their first car, a family road trip, or a vehicle passed down through generations. «I hope people take wonderful photos of cars that remind them of vehicles Ford has produced that they fell in love with, and that they'll leave with information they didn't know ahead of time,» he said.
Ford's involvement in the anniversary comes as other organizations also mark the milestone. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints recently celebrated delivering 6.5 million meals across all 50 states for the America250 anniversary, and a historic Big Boy steam locomotive is drawing crowds as part of an America 250 tour heading east. Ford's exhibit, however, focuses specifically on the automaker's role in shaping American life over the past century and a quarter.
Ryan emphasized that Ford has consistently stepped up to support the country during times of need. «Ford is always there and always will be there to answer the call whenever America or our local communities need us,» he said. The exhibit is open daily through July 14 at Union Station in Washington, D.C., offering a free opportunity for visitors to explore the company's heritage and its connection to the nation's history.
